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Frequently Asked Questions Insurance

General Information (Basic and Optional Coverage)

OPM's Retirement Office is the only office with access to your FEGLI life insurance records. There are three ways to access your FEGLI coverage information:

1. Log on to Retirement Services Online to view and print a Verification of Life Insurance (VOLI). Your VOLI will show which types of FEGLI coverage you have, your amount of coverage before reduction, your post-65 reductions, and your amount of coverage after reductions complete.

2. Email retire@opm.gov to request that your VOLI be mailed to you. Be sure to include your retirement claim number (CSA/CSF) in your email.

3. Call 1-888-767-6738 to request that your VOLI be mailed to you. The phone lines are open Monday through Friday 7:40 am to 5:00 pm eastern time. The phone lines can get extremely busy so we recommend calling early in the morning or late in the evening when the lines are less busy. Have your retirement claim number (CSA/CSF) or social security number handy.

Contact your human resources office. The office that maintains your Official Personnel Folder (OPF) or its equivalent is the only office with access to your FEGLI life insurance records. If you do not know what office that is or how to contact them, check with your supervisor.

You can also look on a copy of your most recent Standard Form 50, Notification of Personnel Action, to determine the coverage you currently have:

In Block 27 on that form, there is a 2-character code that represents your current coverage and a definition of the code.

Yes, it is true. As part of the Basic life insurance, employees who are under age 45 get an Extra Benefit at no additional cost. The Extra Benefit doubles the amount of the life insurance payable if you are age 35 or younger. Beginning on your 36th birthday, the Extra Benefit decreases 10% each year until, at age 45, there is no Extra Benefit.

No. The FEGLI Program provides group term insurance. It does not have any cash value and you cannot borrow against your coverage. The only opportunities to get money from your coverage while you are still alive are (1) if you are terminally ill and qualify for Living Benefits, or (2) if you are terminally or chronically ill and assign your coverage to a viatical settlement firm.

No. FEGLI life insurance open seasons are extremely rare. Outside of an open season, eligible employees can enroll in FEGLI by taking a physical exam or with a Qualifying Life Event.

The form to request FEGLI by taking a physical exam is available the SF 2822. The form is completed partly by you, partly by your agency, and partly by your healthcare provider. If OFEGLI approves your request, you are automatically enrolled in Basic. If you want Optional insurance as well as Basic, you can enroll in Option A and/or Option B within 60 days from the date of OFEGLI's approval. You cannot enroll in Option C by getting a physical.

With a FEGLI Qualifying Life Event, you can enroll in FEGLI Basic, Option A, up to five multiples of Option B, and/or up to five multiples of Option C. Qualifying Life Events are marriage, divorce, death of spouse, or acquisition of an eligible child. To enroll or increase your FEGLI coverage based on a life event, submit an SF 2817 to your human resources office within 60 days after the life event.

To inquire about how much coverage you have under the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Program, contact OPM's Retirement Office by emailing retire@opm.gov or calling 1-888-767-6738. The phone lines are open from 7:30 am to 7:45 pm (Eastern Standard Time). It is a busy phone number so we encourage you to call early in the morning or after 5:00 pm when the phone lines are less busy. You will need to provide your retirement claim number (CSA) or Social Security Number.

Please note: For privacy reasons, the response to an email request for information on FEGLI coverage will be mailed to the address on file with the OPM Retirement Office. It will not be sent back via email.

If your pay is too low to allow a withholding for life insurance premiums and your human resources office expects this to last for more than six months, you will have a choice. You can choose either to terminate some or all of your insurance coverage or to continue the coverage and pay the premiums directly. (See your human resources office for more details).

There are two types of FEGLI life insurance: Basic and Optional. You must enroll in Basic before you can select any Optional coverage.

Basic covers your life in the amount of your annual basic pay rounded up to the next $1,000 plus $2,000. For example, if your annual basic pay is $47,500, Basic covers your life for $50,000. The minimum Basic coverage is $10,000.

If you continued Basic into retirement, your Basic coverage is based on your annual basic pay at the time you stopped being insured as an employee. It is not based on your annuity.

Once you have elected Basic, you are eligible for any or all types of Optional insurance. Optional insures provides coverage in addition to what you have with Basic.

Option A Standard

Covers your life for $10,000.

Option B Additional

Covers your life for 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 multiples of your annual basic pay (after rounding up to the next $1,000).

Option C Family

Covers the lives of your spouse and eligible children. You may elect 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 multiples of coverage. Each multiple is equal to $5,000 for your spouse and $2,500 for each eligible dependent child.

When you are newly appointed or transferred to a FEGLI eligible position, you are automatically enrolled in FEGLI Basic life insurance. To elect any Optional coverage, or to waive Basic, you must complete a Life Insurance Election (SF 2817) and return it to your human resources office. If you do not submit an election form within 60 days of becoming eligible, you remain enrolled in Basic only.

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